Saturday, October 13, 2007

Weekend Herb Blogging #104

It's the huge 2 years celebration for Weekend Herb Blogging and Kalyn has asked that we do something a little different - we're to post a recipe that has at least one vegetable and herb and to also vote for our favourite herb and vegetable.

I thought I'd take a subtle approach in regard to my favourite vegetable

Okay, so I need to work on my idea of subtlety but my enthusiasm is certainly understandable when you feast an eye on just a few of these potato-centric dishes I've made on this blog

For its sheer versatility, you're able to boil, steam, bake, braise, bbq, stew, mash, roast and sauté, turn it into pasta and even make the most scrumptious potato and chocolate cake. The range of species makes sure there's a potato to suit every need and it even comes in colours!

So yes, my vote for favourite vegetable must go to that ever humble spud.

Naturally the recipe I'll be making uses potatoes and since I don't have an oven I had to make something I could do on the stove top.

One of the herbs that just loves potato is rosemary.

With these two ingredients and some garlic cloves I'm able to make pan roasted potatoes, just like my mother makes and probably how she made them here in Italy.

Combine with the unpeeled garlic cloves, a grinding of salt and black pepper and drizzle over a little olive oil to coat and toss well.

Heat up a skillet and add a little more oil in the pan along with the sprigs of rosemary and under a gentle heat bring it up to temperature - the rosemary should start to sizzle.

Add the potatoes, tossing them through the oil and rosemary and allow them the colour on one side before tossing it again. If they are browning too quickly, then turn down the heat and deglaze the pan with a little white wine - place a lid on the skillet and let them steam.

The time taken will depend on how large you've cut them - these took around 20 minutes to make. The end product should be soft on the inside with a nice crispy crust on the outside.

You'll also find that the garlic cloves will have softened nicely during this time and can squeezed out of their skins - this is especially good if serving the potatoes with a meat dish.

17 comments:

Very good campaigning. You might want to go into politics! I knew you would come up with a great entry, and the collection of your potato photos is gorgeous. I do agree, the potato loves rosemary, what a wonderful match! Thanks for helping make the two year anniversary so much fun!

At least 6 out of 7 days we had boiled potatoes with dinner when I was growing up. Once I was on my own I avoided them. Then I slowly worked them back in: roasted, fried, baked, sauteed, ...now I've come full circle and love plain boiled potatoes - along with the rest, of course. And I do sprinkle, even the plain boiled ones, with herbs, rosemary, sage..Sorry, though, I already voted and Kalyn says only once....

I made some patatas bravas the other day as part of my Spanish cooking resolution. I've also made the famous Catalan snack pa amb tomaquet a few times, always irresistible. We make ourselves sandwiches at the end of each day at work and it's amazing to see how much effort and enthusiasm they put into such a simple snack.

I loved your post. In Australia, we had only a couple of potato varieties until relatively recently. And in Adelaide, it is still difficult to find a wide range - the Farmers Market and some organic vege shops are the only source. I really love playing with different varieties (and colours!). Your post also uses one of my favourite herbs - Rosemary. I used it on the weekend with some baked cannellini beans and it was very special. Your photos are always great. I can smell those potatoes from here.

Thanks Vege - there's more potato varieties in Australia than what I have seen so far here in Italy. At times I think we don't realise or perhaps take for granted how much we have in Australia and how easily accessible it is.

Thanks Cindy!

Thanks Peter - the skin protects the garlic from burning and you end up with a delicously sweet squeezable garlic paste

Thanks Kevin!

Thanks Nabeela - you should enjoy the rosemary but also try it with fresh sage leaves

Hi haalo- I found your site indirectly from Bloger.org. This recipe looks wonderful. I have tons of fresh rosemary growing in my garden and am always looking for new ways to use it. Question: when you squeeze the garlic out of its skin, how do you serve the paste? Do you mix it in with the potatoes, or do you serve it on the side? Thanks!Gambits from Gail